Be SALT...Be LIGHT...It's The Kingdom Mandate

(Don't know who produced this cartoon, but it rocks in explaining "Doing The Stuff" by John Wimber, founder of Anaheim Vineyard). It was John and his teaching that lead us to buying into the doing the works of Christ.


Doing the stuff...
Participating in the Kingdom work and commission Jesus left for us to do.
Pray for the sick...
Feed the poor....
Visit those in prison and jail with the news that life doesn't have to be lived out in a 9 x 5 cell.
Raise the dead....
What?
Yep....
Raise the dead...
All part of the kingdom here, right now...
But the Kingdom not complete or fulfilled.

Let me ask you a question.
Do you know how to pray?
"Well, sure..it's simple. You just talk to God."
Partly right.
Let me ask you another question.
Which had you rather have....
A larger quantity of prayer....
Or a larger quality of prayer?
"I think I would want a better quality of prayer."
Good choice.
So how do you arrive at this place of seeing the quality of your prayer increase?
I'm not sure...
Well, that is why God has laid it on my heart to teach such things.....

The church has taken for granted that such attitudes and behavior's such as "how to pray" is something that we just instinctively know.
Do you realize that I was 35 years old before I learned how to hear or discern the voice of God. Thirty-five years old! Been in church more years that you could count and never once had anyone ever told me how to hear God. Oh, I asked and when I did it seemed to be an uncomfortable question to those I had turned to. I received such answers as "Well, you'll just know it was God." I also got the "Still-small voice" answer. What...does that mean that God sounded like Mickey Mouse? No.

This is the one aspect of Christianity that I am indebted to the Vineyard and to John Wimber for. The focus of the Association of Vineyard Churches was built on the "Equipping of the Saint's" for the work of the ministry. To serve outside the church. To interact with those we come in contact with to introduce them to the Jesus we have come to know. Here is the kicker for me. To introduce them to Christ in a non-religious way. To use language that can be understood by those who have never darkened the door of a church. To often out language is peppered with words and phrases that most people do not use in a day to day conversation. If you read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you'll see that Jesus spoke in such a way that the common person of His day would understand. He used stories and examples that were common to the day. This is the behavior that the church should adopt. Somehow we (church) has taken the mandate of separation from the world to a whole new level. Let's get back to the world, but do so filled with God's Holy Spirit. 

If you want to get down to it...
Jesus was God in a form that we could understand. 
The whole "Coming down on the mountain with thunder, lightning, and explosions" was a bit much for those who came out of Egypt, under Moses' leadership, to comprehend. So If I have been called to do the works of Christ, would it not stand to reason that I should do so in a way that others could comprehend God? I think maybe yes.

So...
I've written all of the above to get to this point.
On Wednesday, August 19th, I will begin a new meeting connected with Vineyard ReCovery Church and Gadsden Vineyard Church.
It will be a "Doing the Stuff: 101" class.
Meetings will start at 6:30 p.m. and will run for one hour.
It will not a be a hurried class where we rush through the teaching, but will be a building of one precept upon another, as we learn that the basis for all ministry is the ability to hear what God is saying and then cooperate with His Holy Spirit.
If what I have written about today stirs your heart, then consider that an invitation to come out and join us. Everyone is welcomed.
Since we (VRC) are a small group, we do not have the means, at this time, to offer child care.
One last thing...
This is not an effort to get anyone to change churches or to join up with us. While we ain't against such change, we are not in the business of trying to wrangle people away from their current church. 

If you have any questions, feel free to call  me (Michael Bynum) @ 256 490 1868.
God on you....
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p.s.
We hope to burn cd's of the meetings for those who can't attend and would love to provide such to anyone who wants them.  Contact me with your address and I'll make sure you get them.
I'm also going to attempt to put the audio portion up here on the blogsite.